Officials seek answers after fatal wrecks

Nancy Flake

Published
6:45 pm CDT, Monday, July 2, 2012

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Officials seek answers after fatal wrecks

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With five people dead in less than 48 hours after two drivers allegedly drove the wrong way on Interstate 45, law enforcement is focusing on bars in South Montgomery County that may have served the drivers, an official said.

Officials also will be doing bar checks throughout Montgomery County, and especially those in South Montgomery County, as well as extending the current no refusal program that was to end at midnight July 4 through Sunday, said Warren Diepraam, chief of the Vehicular Crimes Division for the District Attorney’s Office.

The first wreck happened around 3 a.m. Friday, when Nicole Baukus, 23, of Spring, allegedly was driving north on the I-45 southbound feeder near Texas 242 and slammed head-on into a vehicle driven by Nicole Adams, 19, of Conroe. Adams and her passenger, Travis Ryan Saunders, 18, of Houston, both died at the scene. David Francisco Porras, 22, of The Woodlands, another passenger in Adams’ vehicle, was transported to a nearby hospital.

Baukus, who is charged with two counts of intoxicated manslaughter and a charge of intoxicated assault, has been released on a $250,000 bond from the Montgomery County Jail. Her bond initially was set at $140,000, but a judge increased it to $250,000, Diepraam said.

Defense attorney Richard Canlas, who with attorney Kelly Case is defending Baukus, would not comment on how she was able to bond out, but he did ask that there be no “rush to judgment” concerning his client.

“We need to let the full investigation find all the facts,” he said. “In this time of great tragedy and grief, on behalf of Nicole and her family, our thoughts and prayers are with Nicole Adams, Travis Ryan Saunders and David Francisco Porras.

“As the Fourth of July holiday approaches, let us remember we are a nation of laws, where we value the presumption of innocence and where individuals are entitled to due process and a fair trial.”

Around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, just a few miles south on I-45 near Woodlands Parkway, a Chevrolet Malibu allegedly driven by Edward Blackwell, 43, of Montgomery, entered an on ramp, made a sharp U-turn and then began driving the wrong way on the freeway.

A few minutes later, the Malibu collided head-on with a Pontiac G6, killing Anis Lanae Atkins, 25, of Houston, and Dominique Dwayne Hobbs, 27, of Grand Prairie. Stephen Isbell, 47, of The Woodlands, a passenger in Blackwell’s car, also died at the scene.

Blackwell, a supply sergeant and recruiter for the Army National Guard, a National Guard official said, remains in critical condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center in Houston. Blackwell and Atkins were wearing their seatbelts, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety accident report, while Isbell and Hobbs were not.

Diepraam said officials are waiting on Blackwell’s blood evidence from DPS, and there has been no determination of any potential charges against Blackwell.

Diepraam was meeting with law enforcement officials and Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission officials Monday to “try to come up with reasons for a big spike in alcohol-related deaths and possible solutions,” he said.

“Montgomery County has always had a huge DWI problem,” he said. “That (the five deaths) is a significant number in such a short amount of time.”

The five deaths since Friday brings the number of those killed on Montgomery County roads this year to 30.

Diepraam was one of several officials who kicked off a statewide no refusal program that began Friday and will continue through Wednesday. From 5 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday, officers made 34 arrests of drivers suspected of driving or boating while intoxicated, he said.

While Diepraam wouldn’t comment on any specific bars that may have served Baukus or Blackwell before their wrecks, officials are concentrating on bars located along the I-45 corridor in South Montgomery County, from the Rayford-Sawdust area north, he said.

In fact, officials already have spoken with some witnesses and are encouraging any others with information about where Baukus and Blackwell allegedly were drinking the night of the accidents to contact the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office at 936-539-7800 or the Texas Department of Public Safety at 936-442-2800 or 281-297-6590.

Law enforcement officials on Monday created two task forces that will begin their work today. One of the task forces will focus on bar checks, with groups of officers, including one TABC officer in each group, Diepraam said.

Any staff seen serving customers to the point that they are a danger to themselves or others could face criminal and civil liability, Diepraam said.

The other task force will focus on expanded enforcement of DWI drivers throughout the county, focusing primarily on South Montgomery County and I-45, he said.

As for extending the current no refusal program this week, “We’re doing everything we can to get as much law enforcement on the roads as possible,” Diepraam said. “We’ve tried education ... now we’ll try added enforcement.”

“There will probably be a police officer sitting on every overpass this week. We want people to be safe and get a designated driver if they’re going to be drinking.”